What the hell's a Feed?
Stick it in your email!
Brokeback Redux
It’s been a year since Brokeback Mountain was released. A year later we know how it was received and the tributes and controversy it collected. Warmly embraced by far more people than even the producers expected, castigated by mercifully few [bushy-eyed bigots], lauded with awards of every stripe but denied the Academy Award for Best Picture — a circumstance that led a gentle woman from Wyoming to mount her war horse and write one of the most [brutal takedowns] of Hollywood ever seen. A small movie about a love affair between two Wyoming ranch hands held the attention of the world for awhile. Now that the world has looked away, what remains of Jack and Ennis?
The first time I saw the movie, for days after, every time I thought about Ennis Del Mar I cried. Not because of the particular loss he experiences in the story, but because I had never seen the loneliness and aching sadness of a man — of men — so faithfully depicted on screen. The preternatural skill of Annie Proulx in writing the character and Heath Ledger in realizing him is still astonishing. In so many ways the film is a conversation between Proulx and Ledger about how men live. Seeing the film again last night, little of the initial impact was lost. This time though Jack came more clearly into focus. The first time around, caught in the incandescence of Ledger’s performance, Jake Gyllenhaal’s depiction of Jack Twist was thrown into shadow — a supporting character — but with this viewing the tragedy of Jack, a man without loving wife or children, who steals a few days of happiness on rare trips to the mountain, was clear. He is the truly tragic character who (probably) comes to a violent end because he cannot bear to live with the loneliness that Ennis has accepted as his cross.
And, this time, I was more aware of setting and the character of the spaces around the characters. Proulx turns the notion of the gay ghetto inside out by setting scenes of homosexual relationship in limitless pristine vistas. It is as if all God’s creation is complicit in their love; they must hide from society but find a home in nature. Ang Lee expands visually on this theme by placing the characters in small rooms and tight frames when living their “real lives” with wives and children. By contrast, when they are together in the mountains they are often placed in wide shots of astonishing beauty — space literally opens up for them and their story plays out on a stage of operatic grandeur. But it is not an untroubled or simple metaphor — beneficent nature versus cruel society. For Ennis, the mountain is a place where he can be the man he wants to be away from the judging eyes of others, but for Jack it is a recurring reminder of the terrible constraints on their lives. Society intrudes to taint the pristine wilderness. By the time of their last scene together, Jack’s anger is fueled by the recognition that they are held back as much by the internalized limits their relationship imposes as by any threat from outside. They each project onto the landscape what they each bring to it. For Ennis, refuge; for Jack, prison.
The film is remarkably consistent and true throughout. There is only one real mistake that Lee made and it’s unforgivable. In the critical scene of the boys’ first reunion after four years apart, Lee chose to cut away from Jack and Ennis to record Alma’s reaction to what she has seen. It’s unfair to the characters of Jack and Ennis to steal attention at that moment, it diminishes the impact of their embrace in their own story and actually diminishes the presumed sense of isolation for Alma by attending to her reaction. A conventional choice to wring drama from the hurt wife makes their reunion about her and jarringly shifts the focus of the story. It hurts every time I see it. The camera should have stayed on the boys, shooting over their shoulder at Alma appearing at the door then silently moving away, just as Proulx originally wrote it. But this is the only fault I can see.
While the end credits rolled last December 9th I said to a friend, “it’ll never be the first time I see it again.” An acknowledgment that a bomb can only be detonated once, though the report can echo long after. It will be interesting to gauge the effect of the story on people and their attitudes over time as it moves from being a phenomenon and takes its place in the vast canon of “classic” movies. At it’s debut much was made of the “explicit” lovemaking between the young men (mostly just prurient titillation over two straight actors making out), and I suppose there is significance in having people see what was previously unimaginable to them, but the novelty of boys kissing is sure to wear out over time. I think the more subtle and artful qualities of the story are what will have enduring impact.
Proulx’s commonplace characters — these boys are extraordinary in a love story because they are so ordinary — deftly neutralizes the distancing effects of stereotypes. When there are no gestural pyrotechnics to steal attention, one must attend to, and identify with, recognizable and sympathetic characters. Jack and Ennis look like anybody you would meet on the street in any small town. But for this story you might have no appreciation of the complication, the potential, the vastness of such “ordinary” men. We are indebted to Annie Proulx’s imagination and the actors who brought it to life for providing all of us a wider space in which to be human.
Posted in Blather 12/10/06 | 
Email this | Comments (31)
Share/Save this: 
Your piece had me, a grown man, weeping. I have the DVD “Brokeback Mountain” and I will watch (again) tonight. You spoke the truth…and eloquently. Thank you. Geoff
Comment by Geoff Alnutt — December 10, 2006 @ 11:17 pm
Thank you, Geoff. I’ve shed many a tear over this story myself and there will be, I’m sure, many more in years to come. It’s worth every single one.
-SD
Comment by Sprague D — December 11, 2006 @ 12:20 am
Talk about timing – I watched Brokeback again just this past Monday and found that the emotional impact was still there. Thank you again Ang, Annie, Jake, Heath and all who were involved for making a true classic.
Comment by James Wesholski — December 13, 2006 @ 9:52 pm
Been watching Brokeback on HBO…..still breaking out the kleenex….
Comment by David Dorian — December 13, 2006 @ 11:48 pm
MY “FIRST TIME”
I thank you and congratulate your for your article, I truly enjoyed reading it.
Brokeback Mountain is certainly the most extraordinary, moving and powerful film I have ever seen. I’m a 45 year old University Professor and I had read the set of Annie Proulx’s short stories months before the movie came out so I knew the storyline and was familiar with the characters. Nonetheless, I was not prepared for what awaited me.
I saw Brokeback Mountain a number of times in the theatre and, just like you, after my first viewing, I also thought: “It will never be the first time again”. Through the years, I’ve seen movies, lots of them, but this time I really felt that this was a “moment”, a “key moment” in cinematic history.
”Where I live, in Eastern Canada, Brokeback Mountain opened in the theatres at the end of January. I will never forget how I felt after viewing BBM that first time on that cold January night. I was floored, crushed, speechless. I was literally in a state of emotional shock. I actually returned to the theatre about 10 days later to see it again and interestingly, the emotional impact was just as strong, yet somewhat different – I was not as “stunned”. I could not hold back my tears and was sobbing as I was returning home. For days and weeks, I was haunted by the images of Ennis, alone in his small run-down trailer, and in Jack’s room. These were very moving scenes with very few words uttered, if any.
Brokeback Mountain is an exceptional work of art in which silence speaks louder than words. I think this is the perfect film: the pace is controlled and reproduces perfectly the feelings of waiting, hoping and longing for two long decades. Its treatment of human nature, loneliness, longing for love, intolerance, is done with so much subtlety and sensitivity. This film is just “true”, nothing is artificial or contrived. The attention to detail is exceptional, and the actors are outstanding and give unforgettable performances. The look in the eyes of Jack and Ennis says all, and the same can be said of their wives, as well as of Jack’s mother. Eyes and smiles can be very eloquent. Sometimes words are not necessary and are simply obstacles to the truest expression. Ennis’s visit to Jack’s room near the end of the film is a scene in total silence: he is alone and no word is uttered. Yet, it is surely one the most powerful and probably one of the most unforgettable scenes in recent cinematic history for its meaning and emotional impact. Ang Lee realizes the full power of image in his exploration of the most intimate human emotions.
Brokeback Mountain simply tells a story. It’s neither moralizing nor preachy. It tells a very moving love story and touches our hearts like no other film. I saw this movie almost 11 months ago and I am still haunted and affected by it. Brokeback Mountain will be with us forever.
Brokeback Mountain is a true masterpiece… and my “first time” seeing it will remain unforgettable.
Comment by Daniel — December 14, 2006 @ 10:39 am
These comments are like food to me. Being able to touch a reader is all any writer can hope for. I see from my logs that a number of people, men and women, have seen their sentiments echoed here. I hope they will stop back to write a bit. I’m a little saddened that the anniversary of BBM has gone by largely forgotten. Maybe we can change that.
Daniel, your comments are so heartfelt they deserve special attention. Your mentioning of the silences in the movie is very important. These characters are people unable to give utterance to that which moves them most deeply — the words have to squeeze out from Ennis’ hard-set lips or pour from longing eyes (and thank you for invoking Jack’s mother — she is a heroic character in her brief time on screen). You are right that it’s the unrelenting truthfulness of Annie Proulx’s characters that make us realize how false so much of what we ingest in our movies is.
Comment by Sprague D — December 14, 2006 @ 6:17 pm
I am an 84 year old gay WW 2 vet. Ennis’ torment and Jake’s frustration bring back vivid memories. What an emotional wallop! I agree with many of the reviews, but I wish you would reprint Daniel Mendelsohn’s brilliant essay from the New York Review Feb. 23, 2006. I think his important message about closeted gays and the tragedies inflicted by society and organized religion is key to the story.
Comment by Arthur Haupt — December 15, 2006 @ 1:08 am
Arthur, thanks for commenting — I’ll certainly track down the Mendelsohn article. My uncle, who was gay, also served in WW2 — in the Pacific. I never got to speak with him about his experience or his personal life before he passed away, though I have his billfold which contains an old picture of a young man from the 1950s I’d guess. He carried the picture for 40 years but, significantly, there is nothing written on the back of the picture. No name, no sentiment. Says something about how discrete men had to be, then.
Comment by Sprague D — December 15, 2006 @ 1:13 pm
I wonder how BROKEBACK would have been received if it delt with 2 cowboys who were in their late sixties and all worn out and used up.I bet it would have been ignored.No play no pay as they say.
Comment by Phil Andros — December 15, 2006 @ 1:50 pm
It’s been a whole year and I just teared up again reading your article and the above comments. The film is a remarkable work of art and is profoundly powerful. I was absolutely stunned when I saw it. I think Daniel is right – the eyes and the silence said much more than words could ever have managed. Those two loved each other so dearly, so desperately, and it just destroyed them both. Willie Nelson’s “He Was a Friend of Mine” during the ending credits really set the hook. I will never forget this classic.
A few months ago I tried watching it again but had to stop part way through. It just hurt too much. I’ll try again.
Dave B. (A 60yr old straight guy)
Comment by Dave B. — December 15, 2006 @ 2:31 pm
When I saw it (in L.A.) the audience laughed when Alma opened the door and saw Jack and Ennis kissing. It may have been a cathartic laugh rather than a mocking one, but it did seem to reflect a stepping back by the audience from the pain she was feeling, and from the perhaps guilty pleasure of the reunion. Her witnessing was an important detail, both for how it affected her and for how it reminded us of the consequences of Jack and Ennis’s love, but I wished it hadn’t been handled this way. I had forgotten that Proulx had handled it so subtly and tactfully; I agree, Proulx’s version would have been a much stronger scene on film as well.
Comment by bobbo — December 15, 2006 @ 6:23 pm
Phil – I get your point that a lot of the movie’s popularity had to do with the star power of Ledger and Gyllenhaal, but the story couldn’t have been about older men. So much of the poignancy comes from their discovery of love and Jack’s (naive) dream of a future together. Older men, especially those who were “worn out and used up”, as you say, would have buried their dreams a long time ago.
Proulx writes about the experience of older men in Wyoming in a book describing how the story [originated].
Comment by Sprague D — December 15, 2006 @ 6:25 pm
a year later, i can find a few flaws, but is such a beautifully shot and moving story that they are not worth mentioning
Comment by Sam — December 16, 2006 @ 2:13 am
The film does have its flaws – the Ennis vs the bikers scene being the one I’d have eliminated – but even so, I’ve never been so affected by a movie before or since.
Interesting no one has mentioned the huge number of follow up on-line short stories and novels the original story and movie have spawned. That there are so many writers out there continuing the tale (and the best are knock-outs)is a testament to the on-going power of the original story. Two of the best continue the story of Ennis well into his middle age, and are compelling and gut wrenching reads.
Comment by alex turner — December 16, 2006 @ 10:05 am
Alex, I’m glad your brought up the online fan fiction. I’m aware of some folks over at the [Livejournal Wranglers] community who were kind enough to link to this essay. Can you provide more links?
Comment by Sprague D — December 16, 2006 @ 12:15 pm
Here are a number of sites with links to, or stories dealing with Brokeback characters. My main entry point has been the Wranglers site. One of the sites below has a list of titles and authors on the left hand side. Among my current favorites are: “Riding Fence”, “A Widower for One Year plus Eighteen”, “Shades of Grey”, “Zero at the Bone”, “The Laramie Saga”, and “2 Crows Joy”.
http://community.livejournal.com/brokebackslash/
http://community.livejournal.com/bbm_phoenix/106350.html
http://271horses.livejournal.com/
http://davecullen.com/forum/index.php?topic=1412.0;topicseen
http://community.livejournal.com/brokebackfanfic/
Comment by alex turner — December 16, 2006 @ 4:07 pm
I will never forget my first time seeing this movie- how I stood and cried in the theater, and then, the theater’s lobby, still nearly hysterical. Thank you for this beautiful article, it reminded me of a beautiful movie that I havn’t seen in a while, but I think its time for a good cry…everyone needs those sometimes.
Comment by Chris — December 17, 2006 @ 2:03 am
Two more BBM fic sites:
http://web.mac.com/luigi.adami/iWeb/My/home.html
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php
Comment by alex turner — December 17, 2006 @ 1:23 pm
Sprague,
Came across your blog by way of the Dave Cullen web site (which I would recommend highly to any Brokeback fan), and having read many reviews and analyses of Brokeback, cant think of any anlysis that made so many good points in so few words. As I approach my own personal one year anniversary of seeing Brokeback for the first time (ended up seeing it 6 times at the theater) your comment about “it’ll never be the first time I see it again” rang especially true for me.I have thought the exact same thing every time I drive by the theater I first saw it at, and try to remember what it was like that first time, and try to relive in my mind that incredible rush of emotion I had when I left the theater. The sleepless nights, random crying spells, ,trouble concentrating, and general “dazed and confused” feeling lasted for days after but as unpleasant as all that was, I couldnt keep myself from going back to see it over and over again. Since I bought the DVD back in April, I’ve watched it again several more times and although it still affects me deeply, and I still cant help myself from crying during Ennis and Jacks last meeting, its never going to be quite the same as that incredible first viewing. I still have a hard time expressing in words why the film had so much of an effect on me, but certainly a big part of it is the fact that it is one of the only Hollywood “mainstream” films to treat the subject of love between two men with dignity, sensitivity, and respect and in no way suggest that it is any less real, any less valid, or any less intense than the love between and man and a woman. Brokeback is likely just a dim memory for many people who saw it one year ago but for me it has become a permanent part of my mental landscape. It is a gift from Annie Proulx, Ang Lee, Heath Ledger, and Jake Gyllenhaal that I will treasure the rest of my life.
Comment by Joel H — December 17, 2006 @ 7:37 pm
Thanks so much for this little reminder. I’m not going to say how many times I saw this in the theater, cause it’s a little embarrassing, but I will say that I drove up to Phoenix (Scottsdale actually) to see it several times before it made it’s way down to Tucson, where I live.
I do like the comment about “it’ll never be the first time I see it again,” but surprisingly, the impact of the film on me diminished very little during repeated viewings. I spent the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006 in a very strange emotional state because of this movie: not quite depressed, but very sad. Not quite hopeful, but not despairing. Not EXACTLY like seeing my life up on the silver screen, but so much closer to that than anything I’d ever seen before.
As many have said on this thread and hundreds of others, the way so much of this movie was delivered in silence made it so very powerful, and for me at least made it so much more true to life. The men I’ve loved, and me too, have never been very eloquent or even talked very much, and so to me love is something that is most truthfully expressed in the space between words.
Thanks again.
Comment by SJohn — December 17, 2006 @ 8:33 pm
Thank you, SJohn and Joel and everyone else who has left comments of such heartfelt eloquence. You’ve helped restore my faith in this medium. In the past some essays I’ve written have generated depressingly angry words that hurt to publish, but I suppose you reap what you sow. If I write about hate-filled monsters like Ann Coulter it will attract sentiments of like mind; if I write about virtue and heroic love, it will elicit the best from those who read it.
Lesson learned.
Comment by Sprague D — December 17, 2006 @ 11:38 pm
What a lovely tribute.
My thanks for writing this.
Comment by HoneyBearKelly — December 18, 2006 @ 1:41 pm
I am so glad that I “happened” across this very poignant and thoughtful discussion. Mr. Dawley, your essay was a superb reminder. The comments that followed are heartbreaking, kind and generous. My experience of Brokeback has been similar and yet cut to the bone of my own circumstantial life. Heath Ledger’s performance is a thing of legend; Jake’s highly underrated for its subtlety and nuanced depth. This film reinforced my deep, deep belief that all people of goodwill must work even harder and more faithfully for the liberation of all human beings. To paraphrase: if one suffers, so do we all. This gorgeous film demands more than just our tears, but our commitment to work and suffer for justice. Peace.
Comment by Regan Chapman — December 18, 2006 @ 2:00 pm
It was, I truely believe, the most profound movie I have ever seen. I own the DVD, but have not been able to watch it. After your comments, it may be time to see it again. The fact that it lost the Academy Award was such a blow to decency . . . just submission to commercial reality without a trace of a nod to artistic beauty. I am very glad to read some of the above commcents. Please, continue to work for acceptance and justice (I hate the term “tolerance” as it says that it is alright to ‘tolerate’. That is not enough!) Garry Hills, Key West
Comment by Garry — December 18, 2006 @ 6:31 pm
I watched at the movies and cried a lot. Now, I can’t watch it. I won the DVD on a contest, I have it and is imposible for me to see it. You see, I won the DVD because I wrote about an equal experience I had in NYC in 1967, where society’s pressures sets us apart. So many years later and still hurts. I identify with Jack and the road he took. Thank you for the piece is magnificent.
Comment by Oscar — December 18, 2006 @ 7:01 pm
I have yet to have my first viewing; I’ve owned it on DVD since it came out but can’t quite bring myself to watch it yet.
It’s deeply moving — heart-rending — to compare the fictional story here with the real stories of people whose lives were constricted and loves constrained because of the way the world has been. The changes that have been too long coming, and have yet to be fully fought over, over and over again.
But it’s also interesting to think of what might be the worst stories of all, though it may take a long time — and it may never happen — that we’ll be able to appreciate these stories, because of the immeasurable harm that the people involved brought to everyone else, as well as upon themselves. I’m talking of course about the Ted Haggards and the Paul Barneses; the Mark Foleys, David Driers, and Jay Timmonses; the people who have built lives out of their deceit and careers out of their self-loathing. As easy, and just, as it is to revile such people for the destruction they’ve wrought, we should also recognize that they must be in truly horrific shape themselves, with lives that can’t have been much more than constant misery and fear. (Of course, as they’d be the first to point out, they did make those choices, didn’t they?)
Comment by smartalek — December 19, 2006 @ 8:17 pm
Thank you!! What a great piece of writing. (Thanks as well for the link to Annie Proulx’s evisceration–it was so good! I was just thinking about it today.)
It seems likes a lot of us are on the same wavelength–I realized that it was the one year anniversay of the movie’s release, so I watched the DVD last week for the first time since seeing it 5 times in the theater a year ago. Nothing about it has gotten old, and I experience some new reactions each time I see it.
You make an excellent point about the unforgivable (bravo–perfect word) shot of Alma during E & J’s reunion–it always drew a vocal reaction from the audience, and that always bothered me . . . you were able to discern why.
Not only is your piece remarkable, but the comments are wonderful to read as well. I don’t know if you edit these or not, but thankfully there are no hateful fag-bashing posts by Neanderthal troglodytes . . . yet. (See the iTunes comments section on the not-so-good recorded book of BBM for a typically disgusting sampling of those.)
I can’t add anything new to the excellent comments above (e.g. Joel H), but again – thank you so very much for this post, and thanks to all those who posted the thoughtful comments. At the risk of sounding too self-congratulatory, Camille Paglia is right–there is definitely something unique and wonderful about us ‘mos.
Comment by Marc — December 24, 2006 @ 2:23 am
PART II:
Re-reading all the comments, two thoughts:
1.) Everyone above should get some kind of an award for using “affect” and “effect” correctly!
2.) Naming “Crash” as best picture over BBM was most definitely an affront to decency. Again, congratulations to the writer above on finding the perfect words to describe it. I admit, I was not there in person, and I only saw it on TV, but Annie Proulx’s description of the moment when Crash was announced as best picture was perfect: There definitely was some relief in the audience’s reaction, which was troubling to say the least.
Marc Giles, Chicago, IL
Comment by Marc — December 24, 2006 @ 2:42 am
Marc,
Merry Christmas to you and everyone else who has come by and posted such great comments. Thanks for the kind words — much appreciated.
I do moderate comments but have not had to filter out any on this topic — I’ve been able to post every one, not a bad apple in the bunch.
I, too, agree that the “‘mos” bring a special sensibility to the world, alas born of sensitivity to pain and our outsider status — it allows us to see things others may take for granted.
Comment by Sprague D — December 25, 2006 @ 10:00 am
I revised my assessment of the cause of Jack Twist’s anger in his last scene with Ennis based on a thoughtful discussion I read over on [EnnisJack.com] — another good place to keep the discussion alive.
Comment by Sprague D — December 29, 2006 @ 10:51 am
I think your post is quite good. I still remember the first time I saw the movie… and of course I still remember the chat that my friends and me had after seeing the movie. We realized about how lucky were we in a country that recently had aproved gay marriage, and that we hoped that situations like the one with Ennis and Jack would not repeat in the future.
Hughs from Spain.
Comment by Terenci — February 6, 2007 @ 1:49 pm